1 Peter 1:1-25

Greeting in the Name of the Holy Trinity. Encouragement to Hope in Faith and Obedience

1, 2. To the strangers scattered throughout.. elect] RV 'to the elect who are sojourners of the Dispersion in,' etc. The RV order shows that the present circumstances of his readers, as well as their election and his own apostleship, are all according to the foreknowledge of God. Elect] i.e. chosen. Christians, like Israel of old, are God's chosen people. The 'Dispersion' was a term used to describe the Jews who had been scattered among the nations since the time of the captivity: cp. Isaiah 11:12; Zephaniah 3:10; John 7:35; James 1:1. Pontus, Galatia, etc.] These names include the whole of what we call Asia Minor, N. and W. of the Taurus range. The order is natural if we suppose St. Peter's messenger carried the letter from Rome to a port of Pontus, then made a circuit with it, and returned to the same port. St. Paul had preached in part of this country: cp. Acts 16:6; There were men from Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:9).